


Fun and games of eternity

by Tren



Category: Senyuu.
Genre: M/M, One-Sided Attraction, Umineko-esque
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-01
Updated: 2014-10-09
Packaged: 2018-02-15 19:27:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2240670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tren/pseuds/Tren
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Elf November has always enjoyed his life despite the obvious problems that may arise from being omnipotent and pretty much immortal. After all, eternity won't be boring if you have an equally omnipotent friend with which you can share it.</p><p>However, as the newest game starts Elf realizes that the distance between them might have started to widen due to his friend's inclination. Alba has always been overly attached to his creations, but the amount of attention he gives to the... whatwashisname... that piece is worrying to say the least. As Elf struggles with his feelings, the game gets out of hand and status quo, which Elf enjoyed, comes to an end. </p><p>A sort of Umineko-esque AU. Very obviously written before 4th arc of Senyuu came out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Game Begins

**Author's Note:**

> This is based very much on the idea of Umineko where overpowered supernatural beings would play games by influencing the events in the real world, likening the whole process to the game of chess. I have only loosely used the idea, though. 
> 
> To be honest I just felt like writing Elf being all miserable and jealous. After all his bullshit in 3rd arc I just sort of felt like that (I'm not saying I still hold a grudge for beating up Ross and then leaving him for Alba to find, but...).
> 
> Also, there is a reason why I have written Alba differently and it should become obvious as the story progresses.
> 
> I don't know when I will manage to post the next chapter, because the real life is slowly catching up to me and GW2 is still eating away my spare time (if some of you play and ever happen to stumble upon Alba Fruhling there, it's me~).

“Let’s play a game!” Elf proposed to his friend happily.

“A game, you say…” Alba replied with a slight interest in his voice. He was a youth in an orange shirt, green shorts and with a black coat that seemed not to match the rest of the clothing. He had an unreadable face, but after knowing him for so long Elf could more or less read his mood.

But only “more or less”. Truthfully, Elf could never exactly read his friend, but that was okay.

After all, games are no fun, if you can read your opponent too easily.

“What kind of game?” Alba asked, as he stared at Elf. The tanned man happily answered, as he returned gaze.

“How about each of us creates a piece, we turn them on each other and see who will win? No direct interference allowed.”

Alba still looked at his friend with mismatched eyes, as he wondered. Elf didn’t know, why one of his eyes was brown and the other was red. But it definitely suited him. The brown eye always seemed to contain the kindness, while the red one…

“Ah, so you want to see which piece will murder the other first,” Alba pointed out lazily. There was no disdain for the idea in his voice. Rather, he seemed to like the proposal, because a small grin surfaced on his face. 

“Yes! Actually, they don’t have to exactly kill one another. Just utterly defeat! So let’s create some really cool and strong pieces! Those humans have far too boring lives,” Elf added unhappily.

“That is unfortunately the case,” Alba agreed.

“So, let’s kill our boredom a bit!”

*

Elf always thought that Alba was a bit of an oddball. He had too much of an… how to put it… analytical mind. Yes, that was the word. Elf liked to improvise and influence the events as they happened. Alba on the other hand was a type, who liked to set an intricate setup, while considering all the possibilities and their probability and then watch if the events matched his predictions. It should have made him boring individual, but Elf didn’t feel bored with him. Having the person who thinks just like you would be dull. Having someone, who thought in a way different from yours, on the other hand, made things refreshing.

After all, boredom was the worst thing. For the people like the two of them, anyway.

Actually, the term people might not be correct. Both of them were a more than a thousand years old existences.

They were immortal and powerful. And very bored.

That’s why they played games. It was a simple thing that friends did to pass the time together.

However, because they were near omnipotent beings, the scale of their games was also bigger. 

The world was their playground.

As they sat in a dimension, separate from the world in which the game would be played, they tried to come with an interesting setup. Both of them were sitting in an armchair, but while Alba was sitting properly and with an air of formality, Elf had his legs crossed, which made him look like a brat. He also had his arms crossed and looked into distance as he tried to come up with the idea.

“And what do you think of childhood friends who become enemies?” The tanned men proposed.

“We had done it _twice_ ,” Alba reminded his friend and Elf sighed. This was an indisputable refusal.

“I get it, I get it,” Elf said, as he raised his arms. “Then, how about… I know! Family members!”

Alba’s eyes shined when he heard that.

“Father and son,” he supplied quickly.

“That’s good! I like that!” Elf answered enthusiastically. “You always have great ideas, Alba!”

The blond youth smiled slightly.

*

Creating “pieces” was easy. It only required to influence the world a bit. In the end they decided that Elf would create the “father piece”, while Alba was left to create “child piece”.

“You decided to make an incompetent genius,” the blond said, as he and Elf stood in Rchimedes room. They watched the man mixing some substances. 

There was a loud explosion.

“Yeah, I wonder how long it will take him to decipher my notes,” Elf said happily. “And well, you created a scarily competent person you know.”

Both of them moved outside the house. They didn’t even bother with the door, as they walked through the walls like a ghosts. Next to the Rchimedes’ house, a small black-haired boy was taking off the laundry which has dried. The two magical beings looked at him in silence. Elf stole a small glance at Alba. The blond was looking at the boy with a lot of fondness, as though he was a proud father watching his son. Elf almost sighed. It was one of the things he never understood about his friend.

Alba had an unnatural amount of attachment when it came to the pieces he created. He spent a lot of time designing them and poured a lot of love in their creation. Elf couldn’t comprehend that. After all pieces were a disposable things. All of them would sooner or later die. Feeling affectionate towards them was just stupid.

But Elf couldn’t hate that part of Alba. It was cute how he got attached to the pieces he created and then felt sad whenever they perished.

There was something beautifully twisted about this never-ending cycle. Alba played games with Elf to ease the boredom, but also to forget the grief of losing his pieces in the past, but in the end the destroyed pieces would only pile more and more.

“He’s just a human,” Alba answered simply. “He might be very competent at housework and magic and many other things, but…” As Alba was saying that an older brunette boy joined the one who was taking off the laundry. They started to talk about some meaningless things and at one point the black haired boy hit the brunette in the stomach.

“…he is horrible when it comes to socializing with others and is an unrepentant sadist,” Alba finished with a smile. He looked extremely proud. Elf sighed.

“You honestly put too much work into your pieces. You probably thought for hours about him,” the tanned man pointed out.

“I put as much into him, as in the other pieces. There was nothing special about the process of his creation,” Alba answered as he shrugged. His monotonous voice made Elf sigh once again.

“But you really like him, don’t you? This… what was this piece’s name again?”

“Shion,” Alba answered immediately. The annoying fondness was in his voice again. Elf know it was stupid to feel jealous about the pieces. But Alba’s attachment to them somehow got onto his nerves. The blond always acted as if they were extremely special. 

Even though they were created to be broken.

That’s right, everything could break.

Even the world could break.

The only ones that didn’t break in this world were Alba and Elf.

Wasn’t that a good enough reason to pay more attention to him than to some pieces?

Elf suspected that Alba felt some sort of masochistic pleasure in watching his own pieces break. There was no other explanation really.

He looked at his friend once again.

“Right, Shion piece. I wonder how long will it survive~”

*

They watched like an audience in the theatre. As Rchimedes stabbed Crea. As Rchimedes completed his research and almost killed Shion. As Crea saved the Shion. As Rchimedes possessed the Crea. IT was fascinating. They didn’t script this. They merely put the pieces on the board and watched.

“Uuuu…” 

And Alba was trying very much not to cry.

He was a type that never showed too much emotions, but whenever it came to his pieces he could even show a reaction like that.

“Oy, Alba don’t cry!” Elf called pleadingly as he gave the box of tissues to his friend.

“But this… this was too much. I thought he would die right there… Uuuuu…” The blond wailed.

Elf hugged him.

“He didn’t. And it was great, wasn’t it? I never thought Crea would play such a big role!”

“Your partiality towards childhood friends had… uuu… something to do with it, didn’t it?” Alba asked suspiciously, still red from crying.

Ah, he was still so astute even when he was a complete mess!

“Yeah, well I gave him a bit of magical talent to spice things up, but nothing more. Everything else was his doing. And I think it is only fair. After all I allowed you to choose how to make Rchimedes go mad!”

“I’m… sniff… not criticizing you,” Alba continued. “Even though you did… uu… things behind my back, you bastard.”

Harsh! Alba could be so harsh!

Elf felt his eyes watering up. Seeing Alba crying and hearing his sharp words was too much for him.

“Uuuu! And you are an idiot!” He shouted as he started to wail.

Both of them were still hugging each other so now they were just sobbing into each other’s shoulder. From the distance they could easily hear the panicked shouts of villagers, on which Rchimedes was further testing his magic.

*

“You are a stalker,” Elf said as he looked down on the Alba. His friend was crouching on the ground.

“I’m merely observing,” Alba answered indifferently.

“Twenty four hours a day from extremely close distance.”

Alba, who was crouching so that he would have a better view on Shion’s sleeping face, reluctantly raised his gaze to look at his friend.

“What is your point?”

“You don’t have to spend all the time supervising your piece, you know. I certainly don’t watch _mine_ all the time,” Elf pointed out.

“I want to,” Alba answered in a tone that suggested that this solves all the problems that his friend could have.

It certainly didn’t. Ever since Shion entered his adolescence Alba had started to show even more fondness than before. Elf found it unnerving. Alba always got extremely attached to his creations, but this time his affection was starting to border on obsession. And Elf couldn’t help worrying, because obviously this wasn’t good for his friend.

Not to mention he was starting to feel ignored. Which was of course stupid, because Shion was nothing more than a piece. Just a stupid piece. And yet Alba was spending all the time watching him and that was just idiotic, when you realised that Shion didn’t even know of the existence of his creator. He was just a stupidly unaware piece, not knowing that someone had selfishly manipulated his life.

He didn’t deserve this type of attention. Especially, when Elf was right here, knowing about Alba’s struggles and _worrying_ about them. Would Shion even worry about his creator? Of course not, he was too selfish for that. He would probably ignore Alba’s suffering altogether!

Elf looked at the figure of sleeping teenager with contempt, but his expression quickly changed into a smile.

What was he worrying about? In the end it was a piece.

And when the game ends and one side wins, the pieces naturally are taken off the board.

He would disappear soon enough.

*

“Ah, who would have thought our game would end in a draw!” Elf said trying to sound as happily as possible.

It wasn’t a definite resolution, but it was some kind of resolution. Both of their pieces ended up sealed in the Dimensional Rift. They weren’t dead, but they would likely spend the eternity there. A ridiculous conclusion, but honestly this whole affair was turning into a farce and Elf was happy it came to an end.

Alba was unresponsive. Usually he would be extremely emotional after his piece reached the end of its utility, but this time he wasn’t. He was sitting deep in thought and just looking into distance.

“Oy, Alba, are you that sad you didn’t win?” Elf asked, desperately trying to gain some sort of response.

“I haven’t predicted such outcome. No, from the very beginning my predictions were wrong. I did it all wrong. Incorrect assumptions, incorrect ending. I have not thought it over enough,” the blond suddenly snapped out of his lethargic state and as he stood up he started to prattle. Elf looked at him with shock.

“What are you talkin…?”

“I was mistaken!” Alba dramatically spread his arms as he looked at Elf. “No, more than that. I was blind. I have found it!” He was shouting, as though he have just discovered some profound truth. “I didn’t even know what I was looking for, but somehow I have succeeded. But then I just foolishly wasted that chance. No, I didn’t waste it yet. There is surely a way. A way to fulfil my wish! That’s right! With my power it’s definitely possible!”

“Alba!” Elf shook his friends shoulder trying to get his attention. The blond youth moved his gaze towards the tanned man. But he wasn’t looking at Elf. It was as though Alba was looking through his friend at something distant.

No, someone. A person, most probably the one who imprisoned himself in the Dimensional Rift.

Elf felt as if someone had hit him in the face. Alba moved away from him and the tanned man’s hand just helplessly slipped from his shoulder.

“I’m going. I need to plan it. Plan it better this time. Don’t disturb me,” as he threw those words Alba disappeared in black portal.

Elf could only stand and watch. In the end he failed.

“Why did it end up like this?” He asked loudly. Only silence answered him. “Shit.”

It should have went as always. He would cheer up Alba as he despaired after the loss of the yet another piece. He would mop a bit, but before long they would smile together and play next game.

“Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.”

But they didn’t. Alba found something. Something different.

And apparently better than Elf’s company.

Elf summoned a small screen that showed him Rchimedes, sealed by a sword. Sword that used to be this stupid piece.

“You haven’t won. Neither of you,” Elf said silently.

That was right.

“I will wait. And when the time comes I will be the one who wins. I will win this game.”

The tanned man descended into a loud laugh and then also disappeared.

The game has been postponed.


	2. Game Resumes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The thrilling saga continues with a new dose or unrequited love and Elf suffering. Joking aside, this should give you an idea of where I'm going with this story. Previous chapter covered the happenings of backstory, this one is for first arc, the third will be for the second and the final one will cover the third arc.
> 
> Elf November fans are generally advised to have a set of tissues nearby starting from this chapter. Just in case. I mean, what do you expect we are going with the canon.
> 
> If you are searching for some nice music for reading, I would suggest "Buy the Stars" by Marina & The Diamonds (which totally isn't this fics Alba's POV, I don't know what you are talking about).

“What is the meaning of this, Elf?” Alba’s harsh voice resounded.

The tanned man, who was sitting in an armchair smiled slightly.

“Wow, I almost forgot what your voice sounds like. You have been giving me a silent treatment for a thousand years, you know!” Elf pointed out, not even trying to conceal his annoyance.

Alba paused for a moment and then answered in a more gentle tone.

“I was busy.”

“Yes, I have noticed that.”

That you were very busy not interacting with me, that is.

Alba sighed like a person who has found themselves in a difficult situation.

“Did you restart the game to get my attention?”

Elf smirked and then spread his arms.

“Whose else?” He replied sarcastically. “You’ve been sitting in your little space like a hikkimori for a thousand years. Do you have any idea how I felt?”

There was a pause. For a moment it looked as if Alba was about to apologize, but in the end he only shook his head slightly.

“It must have been harsh on you as well,” the blond finally said. Usually Alba would admit to being the one mistaken in such a situation, so this answer caused the tanned man to twitch.

But he didn’t. Whatever he spent his time on was clearly more important than Elf’s feelings.

“Harsh? I thought I would die of the boredom. Nothing interesting happened during this millennium. Nothing! I lost count of how many times I suggested that we would have another game, but you have refused every time and I’m sick of it!”

Alba listened quietly to Elf’s complaints. There was understanding in his eyes and a bit of a guilt, but not as much as Elf wanted to see.

“Certainly. Now that you have resumed the game I want to continue it. We can interfere this time round, but only if we place ourselves on the board,” Alba suggested.

The tanned youth raised his eyebrows.

“I thought you hated interfering,” he said suspiciously.

“Yes. However, I understand that my selfish behaviour requires some sort of amends. What kind of friend would I be otherwise?” Alba admitted, smiling slightly. Elf wanted to believe his words, but this was a game…

Were those his sincere feelings or was it some sort of trap?

“Anyway I ask that aside from ourselves we don’t place any additional pieces on the board. There are already a lot left from our previous game.”

That was a sound argument. However, those quick decisions made Elf think that Alba might have been ahead of him after all.

“Ey, what’s this? You acted all angry and surprised, but now you act as though you have planned it from the very beginning!” The tanned man complained whimsically.

Alba got silent after hearing that, but then he shrugged. His lips formed a tiny smile.

“I have spent all this time preparing and researching for the next game. It would be rude, if after all this time I didn’t have idea how to proceed,” he pointed out. “I have already made you wait for far too long.”

Elf looked at his friend carefully and sighed. But this time it was a happy sigh.

“Honestly, I can never understand what goes on in your head! I guess, you already have prepared how to introduce yourself on the board.”

“Yes, I have prepared my piece,” Alba nodded and then waved his hand. As he did that his younger version appeared next to him. Elf could immediately tell it was a soulless body. It seemed to be around fifteen years old. Aside from that the only noticeable difference in appearance was the fact that his eyes were both brown and the clothes he wore.

The tanned youth blinked.

“Wouldn’t it be easier to just change your appearance?” Elf asked. Truthfully, he didn’t feel like planning too much and he was planning to enter without much modifications. He would only pretend to be one of the most powerful demons so that others wouldn’t be suspicious of his powers and he thought Alba would do the same.

However, it wouldn’t be Alba if he didn’t have some surprise up his sleeve.

“No, this is my piece. I have already implanted it with abilities and character that will be necessary for him to win,” the blond explained calmly.

“Oy, weren’t we going to be the ones entering?” Elf asked annoyed. This wasn’t making any sense.

“That is correct. When the game begins I will seal my soul inside this piece. I will be entering the board as we agreed,” Alba continued to explain.

“So you won’t be appearing as yourself? Why would you want to do that?!” The tanned man couldn’t comprehend the intentions of his friend.

Alba paused for a moment and then looked up. There was no sky there, but Elf knew that Aba was merely looking at something distant. He even had a guess what. Or rather who.

“Have you ever felt like you have reached the wall?” Alba finally asked.

“What?”

“That you have created something so good that none of your future creations will ever compare,” Alba clarified. “That was what I thought after our last game. I didn’t care about win or loss, because I knew that I would never manage to replicate this result. To feel like this again!” There was a spark in his eyes and excitement in his voice. “And I hated it. This power and lifespan, they would be worth nothing if I couldn’t experience those emotions again, this pain again, this despair again.” There was a mad smile on his face now. “I didn’t want to take part in games anymore, because I would be nothing but disappointment. They wouldn’t be stimulating enough. I would endlessly compare them to that game,” at this point Alba was even gesticulating wildly, but he stopped and looked straight at Elf. “That is why I spent the last thousand years searching for a way to recreate those feelings. To find the excitement of the games again. And this is the solution I came to.”

“Wait,” Elf interrupted his friend, while scratching his head. “You are saying that after thinking for thousand years you decided that becoming a piece, like placing yourself in a stupid piece, is a good idea?”

Alba chuckled.

“It may seem insane, but there is a limit to how much you can feel as an observer. After all the years we lived… don’t you think we can’t experience emotions as well as we did in the past?”

“That…” Elf started but paused. He never thought about it that way. Because even if he changed as long as Alba was by his side everything would be all right. He sincerely believed that. They weren’t humans anymore, there was no point in clinging to sentimental things like conscience or empathy towards pieces on the board.

Both Alba and Elf were aware that the only thing that could destroy them was boredom and loneliness.

And yet they choose different methods of protecting themselves from it.

“Is that so? I don’t really feel much difference,” Elf said in a carefree matter.

“You don’t?” Alba asked as he watched his friend carefully.

“We’ve been doing the same things for millennia. Why? Because we could have fun like that. Well, if you grew bored of it we can try something new. How about it? If you can think of some more interesting games we could play I’m all ears.”

Alba was silent for a moment.

“No, the current one is fine,” he finally said.

Elf couldn’t help feeling that his answer might not have satisfied Alba.

*

Elf wasn’t naïve. 

Alba might have seemed sincere, but he definitely didn’t tell him everything. His friend had some sort of plan. An agenda different from a simple win against Elf.

_”A way to fulfil my wish! That’s right! With my power it’s definitely possible!”_

Elf recalled those words and winced.

“Is my power not enough to grant your wishes?” He asked the emptiness. The tanned man knew that he would happily grant most of the Alba’s wishes. His friend just needed to ask.

But he wouldn’t.

“Am I useless?”

That was a stupid question. He was worth more than a simple piece. Always has been.

Why wouldn’t Alba realize that?

*

Elf spent some time setting things on his side, but once he did that he was free to watch how his friend fared. Dezember would continue the plan to unseal the Demon Lord on his own and watching Alba’s plan unfold was much more interesting.

The Alba piece was completely different from the last one. The Shion piece was a genius, a person able to stand against Demon Lord. Alba piece, on the other hand, was utterly average except for his talent at making retorts. 

No, that definitely wasn’t it. After all, that Alba, the _true_ Alba was sealed inside of him. Surely, once he embarks on his journey it will turn out he has some sort of outstanding talent. Just like the real thing. Elf knew that Alba was sharp and ingenious, slightly insane maybe, but extremely creative.

Even if that was only a temporary fake, Elf had a lot of expectations towards it.

*

It was shortly after Alba meet the unsealed Creasion that Elf started to realize he might have been wrong. The boy still exhibited no special skills, but at the same time…

…that stupid piece seemed to like him.

Was it an attraction towards the creator? No, there wasn’t something like that. Also the real Alba was completely sealed at least for now. Did Alba condition the piece to like him? No, he didn’t change anything in him and he definitely didn’t implement something like that during his creation. 

That left one other possibility. Namely, that it was Alba piece that was created so that it would be liked. Of course, he also seemed to like Shion… or was it Ross? Elf felt he was getting lost in all those names. Anyway, the Alba on the board definitely looked up to that stupid piece, but that was to be expected. Elf still remembered the unnatural fondness that his friend had for him. Some of it definitely seeped into the unaware piece in which he was sealed.

But the fact that they became close quickly was a big surprise. Shion piece was a loner who didn’t get close to anyone. Then why was he…?

*

Three month had passed and Elf was starting to hate this game. Nothing of importance has happened and yet Elf felt as though he was constantly losing to Alba’s pieces.

Not that they were doing anything substantial. Aside from being happy. Together.

Elf was severely missing Alba at this point. Usually his friend would watch the progress of the game with him. They would comment on their chances, tease and try to mislead each other as much as possible. But now he was left alone with a game set in motion.

It was dull. Awfully so.

Elf crooked his head, as he considered his next step. It was true that he didn’t protest when his friend had sealed himself in the piece, however, he never promised to maintain this situation. Alba must have been aware of that fact. Of course, if Elf used his full powers it would be against rules. They agreed to place themselves as pieces after all. So if he wanted to kill the piece Alba, he had to act as a piece.

Elf smiled to himself, as he thought about the most amusing way to sabotage his best friends plan.

*

It… didn’t go as planned.

This was a short version. Elf had to admit he might have underestimated his opponent a bit too much. Since he was going against a talentless piece, he decided not to use any of his magical powers except for changing his appearance.

Who would have thought that Alba piece could run fast enough to avoid the explosion which Elf has triggered?

Still, he wasn’t going to be a sore loser, especially towards Alba. Since the boy won that round, Elf decided to support him a bit. Frankly, he still couldn’t see what his friend was thinking when he created that piece. What was supposed to be his place in the grand scheme of things he had planned?

The tanned youth decided to wait some more and see it for himself.

What he hadn’t planned was that both of them would end up thrown into the jail. It was a mildly amusing situation. Elf could easily pass through walls, or teleport himself, or even make guards believe that they’ve made a mistake and imprisoned a wrong person. Not to mention making the building collapse. There were numerous ways to handle this not-really-a-predicament.

However, as he looked at the blond boy at his side, who despaired at his situation, something moved inside Elf. He have always watched the piece Alba, but never so closely and he never interacted with him before.

It was only after he gave the boy the key and promised to stay in his place, that he realized the strange truth.

He liked that new Alba.

He was completely different from the friend he came to know and love. The piece Alba was sincere to fault, easy to read and naively straightforward. However, there was a cheerfulness and energy in him that felt refreshing. Even Elf became a victim of his charm, as he acted all cool and allowed him to escape. And it was because…

He wanted to see that smile again. Seeing that boy smile and thank him made him feel exhilarated. Elf didn’t even realize until now how much he wished that Alba would act like that. He grew so used to his friend that he didn’t even notice it. He was usually so cold, and dispassionate, and unreadable, and…

Maybe Alba was right when he said he had lost some of his feelings from the time when he was human. Truthfully, Elf couldn’t recall too much from that time. But if this was what his friend has lost…

Was it okay to destroy this Alba?

This Alba who was bright, full of light and unaware of the cruel game he was part of.

Was it okay to ruin the happiness he found?

*

In the end Elf had done nothing. Just like the last time, he watched silently as the tragic events had played themselves. There was a huge difference this time.

This time Alba wasn’t a spectator. He was an actor on the stage. A piece that faithfully played its role.

And Elf could finally see it now. The intricate scheme that his friend had set up.

It made him want to puke.

Why did Alba subject himself to such a suffering? Why did he have to watch the person important to him just disappear? Just why would he do that to himself?

Why would he make Elf watch him suffer like that?

In the end all that remained was a lone boy with red scarf. Shion piece once again disappeared in the reaches of Dimensional Rift. Alba once again was left behind lost and heartbroken. It was exactly like the last game. That stupid game which ended up with his friend disappearing for thousand years.

“I-I won’t allow that,” Elf decided. “I won’t let it end up like that.”

As the tanned boy used his powers to move into the Dimensional Rift, he wasn’t even conscious that right now Alba has made the same decision as him.


	3. Game Continues

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uni starts tomorrow, but the anguish about the horrible mess that is my timetable has been going for some time. Hahahaha.
> 
> Anyway enjoy new portion of Elf suffering. This chapter is slightly shorter, but merely because all the suffering was condescended into the form of a letter. I will post the last part as soon, as I finish it.
> 
> Once again, if you are searching for a good song to accompany this fic I redirect you to "Buy the Star" by Marina & The Diamonds. It's really applicable in this chapter, now that we get a proper insight into Alba's side of things.

This time Elf had successfully stopped Shion from sealing Rchimedes. He had no idea what would happen next, so he decided to let things be for now. He hid himself in the space he and Alba used to occupy and watched events unfold.

At first he watched how Alba fared during the year that passed while Shion and Rchimedes pieces were in the Dimensional Rift. He watched how Alba found his new resolve, how he struggled, cried, suffered, but continued to move forward. It was sad, but also inspiring in some way. That boy had no idea how to save his friend, nor power to do so. Yet, he was determined to succeed and has sacrificed a year of his life for that purpose.

Elf watched all of it. He followed the blond boy so he could see all of it. At some point he even stopped claiming that it totally wasn’t like that time when the real Alba stalked the Shion piece. 

_I have really fallen_ , Elf thought as he watched Alba and Ruki cuddling together after another tiring day. The tanned youth wanted to help the boy somehow. Assure him everything would be alright, that he would find happiness.

But he couldn’t do it. He was an outsider. No, in the first place, wasn’t he the main reason why this boy had suffered so much? Appearing before him to give him false assurance felt so hypocritical that Elf discarded this idea immediately. He wondered if Alba felt the same way during their previous game while he stalked Shion. Did he feel bad for giving that rude boy such a horrible life? Or was he torn between wanting him to suffer and wanting him to be happy?

Ah, even now Elf couldn’t tell what his friend was thinking. It was an infuriatingly familiar feeling.

*

Finally, his interference paid off and both Rchimedes and Shion returned from Dimensional Rift. Yet, all Elf could do was sit back and watch. The story that his friend set in motion, whatever it was going to be, the tanned youth was determined to see it till the end. That was the right thing to do as a friend of both real and piece Alba. He was going to see if they could manage to grant their own wish.

Since none of them wanted his help, watching was all he could do.

He was oddly calm about it, as if all his previous anger disappeared. No, calm was a wrong word. Empty. Because after the anger disappeared, the only thing left inside of him was resignation.

That was why he watched resigned as Alba and Shion piece meet again.

He watched in silence as Rchimedes regained his power.

As the people struggled.

As Alba disappeared.

As he regained some of his powers by absorbing Rchimedes’ mana, which from Elf’s point of view was somehow hilarious. Everyone was surprised at Alba suddenly turning powerful, when in reality he didn’t even have tenth of his original power.

As they defeated Rchimedes with their combined effort.

He left at this point, returning to the separate dimension from which he and Alba usually observed the world. He didn’t have to look around to know.

Alba wasn’t there.

The game had ended. Rchimedes piece was defeated. Alba has won.

And yet he wasn’t here to gloat with his smirk and offhand comments about the moves which made it possible for him to win. He was still sealed on the board.

Elf realized he didn’t feel surprised about this. Somehow, he unconsciously expected this to happen. Alba left a lot of hints behind, so the tanned man knew that his friend won’t be coming back. He never thought about it, but now that it had happened it was obvious.

It was obvious that this was supposed to be the last game.

No, that couldn’t be it!

As the understanding dawned on Elf, his mind finally got free of apathy that chained it and started to protest.

It couldn’t be happening. Alba wouldn’t leave him alone. They have been together always. Since forever! Weren’t they supposed to spend their eternity forever?! Playing games together? Laughing together? Competing together? Crying together? Destroying together? Creating together?

Just… being together?

He always knew that Alba didn’t feel about him the same way as he did. That much was obvious, but as long as he could be with him that was fine.

They would be just friends. An eternity buddies. But it was okay…

…if they could be together that was fine.

Why?

Why wasn’t Alba here?

Why was…

As Elf struggled with the questions he could not find answers to he realized there was something lying on the table.

It was an envelope. There was “To Elf” written on it.

Hastily, he opened it and impatiently looked at the contents.

It was just a simple letter, but since he knew him for so long he could hear Alba’s voice as he read it.

  


_To my dear friend,_

_I must begin with the apologies for using the letter to apologize and say goodbye. I deeply believe you deserve to hear this face to face, but I found it impossible. I thought of leaving a projection, but I figured that it would be outright cruel. I might have considered it entertaining in the past, but not anymore._

_But coming back to the main issue._

_If you are reading this letter then I have won the game and my wish has been granted. I must be happy then. It must be very satisfying to achieve your goals and be with the person you love. Not that me of now fully comprehends this. But Alba will._

_Or I died. Which is also fine. Then congratulation on winning._

_But I’m digressing again. I have never written a farewell letter before, so I’m not sure what composition will be the best._

_Let me start from the beginning so you may understand my decision and reasons that lead to it. Everything started with Shion, or rather it became apparent when he came along, since those issues were present before. As I watched him I started to question my own existence. He was a piece I created and yet I felt that he was worth much more than me. I might have been his creator, but as a creation he outdid me. Creasion. Ha, pun. Khem. Anyway, you have noticed it already, but I became a hopeless case due to him. I said it before, but he made me realize that there was nothing more for me to achieve as a creator. Everything that helped me get through the eternity crashed then. Except for you, of course. You were still there, but the me of then was a directionless fool. You were fine with being one, but I couldn’t bear being one. I needed to find a new reason for living to get me through. I spent most of those thousand years trying to find it. And somehow I always ended up coming back to Shion. He was my biggest regret. I couldn’t bear to leave him in the Dimensional Rift. I realized that saving him was worth sacrificing my life. If you feel like criticizing my choice I should probably mention that if I haven’t found any new reason to live I thought that committing suicide was a good way to end my suffering. No, in the first place I set it so that I would die together with the piece I sealed myself in. I figured out that I would either succeed or die trying. Sorry, for not telling you._

_Anyway as a natural optimist I will continue with the assumption that I have won. After all, my strategy was perfect. I even incorporated you in it._

_However, once I started to create my plan I grew greedy. I wanted to save him, but I wanted to be the one to do it. I wanted him to be happy, but I wanted to share this happiness with him. In the end, I realized that eternity was nothing but obstacle in achieving my wishes. That was why I threw away the infinity, so I could find the happiness in the finite life as Alba Frühling. He is the crystallization of my wishes and yearnings. A hope incarnated. A hope for me and the people around me. And for Shion._

_Ah, Shion. I avoided writing about him, but I guess I do want to admit it to you. He was most perfect thing I have ever created. His hatred and suffering tugged at my heartstrings like nothing before. His derogatory remarks were like a beautiful symphony. His hopelessly good nature wrapped in a package of sadism and insolence was cute. His smile made me feel like I had regained my feelings as a human. In the end it was his existence that made me yearn for being human again. He is the greatest thing I ever created. I want to watch him forever._

_Still being a superior being to him created an unsurpassable wall. So the only way to make it equal was to become a piece on the board just like him. It feels like a small price. I always thought eternity was overrated, anyway._

_Alas, I’m only spouting selfish things, but I’ve been holding back a lot out of consideration towards you, so sorry and thank you for indulging me until now. I have explained my reasons, but I am aware that what I did is extremely inconsiderate towards you. From your point of view, it must be as though I am leaving you alone. This isn’t a result I wished to create, but I refuse to compromise my happiness._

_You’ve been a great friend. I have enjoyed your presence. The games we played together were most entertaining and I remember them fondly. I also appreciate that you have respected my feelings, or more accurately, the fact that I have never reciprocated your feelings. I never acknowledged I have noticed them, since I thought it would be easier on you, if I pretended to be merely extremely dense. I noticed people usually say that they are sorry at a time like this, but I do not see anything I should apologize about. Those are your own feelings and as such your own problem, I do not believe I have contributed to your overly fond view of me._

_That being said, I never wished you a true misfortune. You have been the best friend of mine and I part with you with some regret, which I don’t completely understand. I guess some of my human feelings remain. I might not be as hopelessly gone as I thought._

_I truly hope you will find happiness. Goodbye._

_Your best friend,  
Alba_

  


Elf finished reading. There was a moment of silence before a loud shout of anguish reverberated through the dark dimension.


	4. Game Concludes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Neither university, nor GW2, nor the new anime season managed to stop me! Here is the last instalment of "Elf suffers as a part of my writing practice" series. We are doing the third arc! You all know, what that means right? :D
> 
> Also, check the end notes for the link to a comedic omake!

Elf floated listlessly through the dark dimension. A letter left by his friend was floating next to him.

The dimension was as always. It was dark with only two armchairs and a table on which a board representing the world was placed. Around those pieces of furniture several screens, showing the various images from the board, were displayed.

There was only one thing that was different from usual.

Alba wasn’t here.

Suddenly eternity felt lonely.

Cold, dark and hopeless. Full of dull days where nothing good happens. Where he sits alone and watches the unsuspecting humans doing their business completely unaware of the fact that immortal creature is ridiculing them from the edge of the world.

Why are this stupid, ignorant humans happier than him?

Why aren’t they alone just like him?

Why did Alba choose to become one of them?

Why did he throw away the eternity to become a finite being?

Why was Alba happier that way?

Why? Why? Why?

“Why was I left all alone?!”

In the dark dimension a lonely monster cried as he tasted his new-found despair.

He was given the answers to all those questions, but he could not comprehend them.

He was too far gone to be satisfied by the resolution that his friend found.

His friend…

Elf turned towards one of the monitors, which was showing a blond youth in a prison outfit. As he watched him, solving the magic problems he was given, he started chuckle. This sound quickly grew louder until it turned into a full blown maniacal laughter.

“Hahahahahahahahahahahaha. Aren’t you the greatest. You have won the game and yet you end up in jail. Isn’t that hilarious? Ne, Alba? Don’t you think so yourself? After all, you are the one who agreed to this self-imprisonment! You are the biggest joke in the world, you failure of an immortal! Hey, answer me!” His amused shouts have progressively turned into a furious rant as he lashed at the person shown on the screen. He started to slam his fist into the image. One, second, third time… A web of cracks appeared on the monitor and Elf absently realized that the screen shouldn’t be cracking. He was changing the reality so that it would be possible, because he wanted to see something destroyed.

…destroyed, shattered, broken, burned, impaled, dismembered, annihilated, tortured, strangled, maimed, damaged, drowned, sliced, wounded, infected, poisoned, crippled, beheaded, mutilated, murdered, gouged, disfigured, distorted, butchered, injured, hurt…

…empty, empty, empty, empty, empty, empty, empty, empty, empty, empty, empty, empty, empty, empty, empty, empty, empty, empty, empty, empty, empty, empty, empty, empty, empty, empty, empty, empty, empty, empty, empty, empty, empty, empty, empty…

He felt so empty.

Elf curled on the floor and wailed.

*

Eternity was a cruel mistress.

Elf realized that as he was lying on the floor of the black dimension.

In the end, he run out of tears and screams. He could still curse, but there was little power in those words. The only person he could blame for everything was Alba, but even now…

Even now he couldn’t hate him.

No, that wasn’t right. He hated him, Elf could feel the slithering anger and black malice swirling inside of him. The selfishness that he has been caging ever since he realized his feelings towards Alba was rattling against its chains. All regrets, all unfulfilled desires both innocent and outright vicious were congregating together into one hungry beast blinded by anguish. He always kept his distance! Always respected! Always played by the rules! 

But now Alba was gone. There was no one to judge him. No one to limit him. If he wanted he could force Alba back. Pin him down and then forcefully drag that sealed soul to surface. Of course, it would most probably destroy the current Alba’s psyche. After all he would need to break through his mind and soul to the core; literally violate his being to reach there. It would be unbelievably painful and agonizing process. Elf had seen people going through this – their being always shattered in the end.

However, he knew that doing this wouldn’t help. The true Alba didn’t want to live anymore. If Elf forced him to come back, he would just reseal himself or commit suicide.

Elf sighed. He sincerely contemplated simply killing the current Alba, but he took no action. The boy just didn’t feel like a proper opponent.

After all…

“You aren’t the one who hurt me,” Elf said loudly as he looked at his outstretched hand.

“Was I the one who hurt myself, just like you said Alba?” He asked the emptiness.

Only silence answered him, but the tanned youth smiled.

“That’s so unfair, you know. I wanted to be the one to leave you mopping on the floor. I wanted to make you pursue me and be dependent on me. And then you just went on and disappeared without as much as giving me a glance. Guess I was the weak one. Or was it that you were the strong one? Was the one who abandoned eternity the winner or loser? Ne, Alba, how can I know it without you? Because you know, I can’t abandon it,” Elf said and he realized his vision has blurred. Guess, he still had a few tears left. “I can’t just throw it away like you did! If I do, I will forget you! I don’t want that! I can’t just act as if it isn’t important!”

Millennia of the games they had together flashed before his eyes. There were so many of them, they felt like a stars. They all sparkled creating a beautiful memory together. A memory of boy who was so cruel and also so kind. Who cried and laughed at suffering.

Elf couldn’t just throw that away.

*

After immeasurable amount of time that Elf spent in his black dimension, he came to a simple conclusion. He had no reason to live anymore. He didn’t have anyone he could play games with. He could create someone to play with him, but it would be no different from creating an imaginary friend. He couldn’t create a being capable of being his equal, only subservient creations that would be dependent on him in one way or another.

Actually, after this whole fiasco he didn’t feel like creating pieces anymore. It just couldn’t lead to anything good.

He didn’t feel like continuing.

“Did you feel like that, Alba?” Elf asked. He had only himself to talk to, but he continued conversing as though his friend was there. After all, Alba always listened to him. Often he wouldn’t bother to answer, or even indicate that he paid any attention to Elf’s words.

But he always listened. So even if he wasn’t here anymore, he definitely was listening.

“Well, I sort of understand you now. It’s really shitty. Not being with the person you love, I mean. I really could continue with how we were. I didn’t need anything else. Shame, you didn’t feel the same.”

He smiled slightly.

“Actually, I understand now, why you though that throwing everything away for him was totally worth it. I would do the same you know. To have you back.”

He felt tears gathering in his eyes, but he didn’t feel like doing anything about it.

“But I know better than that. I lost. Totally lost.”

He felt tears streaming down his cheeks.

“And as the loser there is only one thing I can do. I need to congratulate you on winning!”

*

Setting up the whole plan was surprisingly easy. All necessary pieces were just lying around: Dezember, Rchimedes’ soul, Shion’s lost family and some other pieces.

Everything necessary to set the gears in motion.

He needed to make Alba angry. It was for the sake of plan, but Elf has found that making Alba livid was surprisingly satisfying.

Guess, he wanted to take a small revenge on him in the end.

Perhaps, he overdid it a bit, Elf thought as Alba’s eyes turned red upon hearing that someone dared to threat Shion’s life.

To his surprise tanned youth discovered that he still could feel jealousy. Of course, he did his best not to show it. Even when Shion admitted he believed Alba would come in a sickeningly trusting way. Elf had to wonder if Shion made him feel like a third wheel accidentally or on purpose. Honestly, Elf already knew that! That stupid piece didn’t have to hammer this idea into him any more than that!

The tanned men sighed. He knew when to give up. He might have been an unpopular guy, but he wasn’t that kind of a loser.

He lost, but he would face his failure. 

And save as much as possible.

*

When Alba finally stood before him as opponent Elf felt a strange kind of déjà vu. He faced his friend many times, but never like this. There were emotions that Alba had never shown. Maybe he hadn’t possessed them back then. During those times when he was still immortal.

The puny and finite Alba looked at Elf with a determination, but also with hatred. It wasn’t as visible on his face anymore, but the tanned youth knew it was there. He could feel the mana maker inside the boy pulsing as it drew power from his silent loathing.

And somehow it was fine. It was fine, because Alba was looking straight at him. Was concentrating on him. For a moment Alba would even forget about _the reason_ why he got angry in the first place.

In that glorious instant, nothing but Elf would exist in his eyes.

But the moment would pass and rationality returned to those brown eyes. There was a world to protect in those eyes. And a person whose world needed to be protected.

Elf was merely an obstacle.

“I thought yer’ original goal was to defeat me?” Elf pointed out, to keep this attention just a second longer. He knew that the curtains would soon fall and the play he had staged would come to an end. But just for that one extra moment…

“Of course. I’ll go after I defeat you,” Alba answered resolutely.

For that one fleeting moment, Elf would keep playing the role of a villain until the very end.

*

Obviously, Elf wasn’t using his full powers. He only used the skills that he had as the piece – as Elf November. Even then he was powerful enough to match Alba. Shion might have tried to give him more battle experience, but it wasn’t enough for a magic battle newbie like Alba. Sure, the boy could beat probably anyone else.

Except for Elf, who possessed an eternity of battle experience.

It made him sad. He understood it before, but now he could truly feel it.

Alba was no longer his equal. He was a fragile human, who had no idea about how cruel the world was, how twisted humans were or how lonely the eternity was.

He was an ignorant human, who made a simple mistakes.

Like looking away from his opponent during the battle.

This was the moment Elf waited for. When Alba realized what was going on it was too late. Elf’s hand was stuck inside his chest. The blond boy looked at it in silent horror, but his face quickly contorted in pain.

Elf smiled despite the fact that he himself was in even worse agony.

What he had done was simple. He merely transferred some of his compressed powers into Alba. It was extremely inefficient process, which would scatter most of his magic. Only small part of it would actually reach the boy. But the part that reached him…

Alba’s eyes unfocused for a moment and his face froze in bewildered understanding. 

“Elf…” He muttered, his voice quivering. The compressed mana from Elf had loosened the seal that has been binding the original Alba. It didn’t remove it, but this allowed some of the memories to slip past.

The current Alba would have a vague understanding at best, but that was enough. Elf didn’t want his friend to disappear completely, but he also didn’t want to completely destroy his legacy.

This was his answer.

Elf realized his consciousness began to dim. Without the mana, his body started to malfunction.

 _So this is what death is actually like_ , he realized as he fell onto the ground.

*

Alba and Ross stood next to each other and stared down on their opponent.

“This isn’t your fault, you know,” Ross said as he looked at the bloodied body.

Alba smiled self-depreciatingly.

“I know,” he said in a tone of voice that indicated that he didn’t truly believe it, but wanted to. 

There was a short moment of silence interrupted by quiet humming and cracking made by the mana rapidly escaping from the artificial space. Alba took a deep breath. “Let’s go.”

Both of them left the collapsing dimension without looking back.

*

“That was so cold of you, Alba,” Elf muttered as he laid in the pool of his own blood. “You didn’t even say goodbye.”

Both his body and the dimension were deteriorating. It was a matter of seconds before they would be destroyed. Somehow it filled Elf with serenity.

He stretched his hand into the darkness.

“I was happy to meet you, you know. Even if you didn’t love me as much as I did you. Probably because you were a horrible person. Well, we both were.”

The destruction of dimension was now audible, as creaking and howling filled the space.

“You know, you really won this time. But if we were to ever meet again…” Elf suddenly said as he starred into the nothingness. “Then let’s play together again!”

There was a happiness in his voice and a wide sincere mile appeared on his face as he said that.

The dimension cracked one last time and then shattered, disappearing together with Elf’s already dead body.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [A comedic omake.](http://tren-fraszka.tumblr.com/post/99592501720/fun-and-games-of-eternity-4-4)


End file.
